1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to the field of manned parachutes and, more particularly, to a parachute harness container with a bio-contoured load distributing support cradle or vest.
2. Description of the Related Art
A parachutist wearing a conventional parachute harness container bears all of the weight of the harness container upon a small load bearing area on the tops of his or her shoulders where the harness straps pass over the clavicle area. Given the weight of the harness container and the length of time that the parachutist must often wear the harness and harness container in readiness for and prior to a jump, these two narrow load-bearing points create considerable pressure leading to discomfort and fatigue.
In addition, a parachutist wearing a conventional parachute container may have limited head movement due to interference between the parachutist's helmet and the top flap of the reserve container. This interference can limit the parachutist's situational awareness as the parachutist may not be able to turn his or her head sufficiently to see all of the surrounding area.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved harness container that better distributes the load of the harness container on the upper torso to increase the parachutist's comfort and increase the ease and range of motion of the jumper's head. The terms “parachutist” and “jumper” are used interchangeably throughout this description.